Central ND News

At a recent Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, Senator John Hoeven emphasized the need for flexibility within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to address urgent issues in farm regions, such as avian flu outbreaks. He underscored the significance of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) in the upcoming farm bill, highlighting its role as a flexible emergency funding source aiding farmers and ranchers through various challenges.

Hoeven cited several examples of current uses of disaster assistance and CCC resources benefiting American agriculture producers. Among these is the $33.5 billion in disaster assistance he helped secure for producers through year-end funding legislation. He has been collaborating with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to ensure swift implementation and delivery of this aid to producers.

During discussions with hearing witnesses, Hoeven described how disaster assistance acts as a temporary support system for farmers and ranchers while legislative efforts continue to prioritize key elements in the new farm bill. He also noted that improved crop insurance affordability, updated reference prices, and enhanced livestock disaster programs could reduce reliance on ad hoc disaster aid.

The senator addressed concerns about the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak affecting the poultry industry. In response, Secretary Rollins announced a $1 billion plan aimed at improving biosecurity, assisting affected producers' recovery, and reducing consumer prices. Hoeven is working alongside Rollins to implement this plan and discussed strategies with hearing witnesses on managing current outbreaks and preventing future losses.

“The CCC is an incredibly important tool that provides flexibility to Congress and the administration to be responsive to needs in farm country and deal with issues promptly,” said Hoeven “Just this week, the CCC is being utilized to fund our response to avian influenza. I commend Secretary Rollins for acting quickly to respond to this outbreak, and I look forward to working with her and stakeholders to help producers recover, prevent future incidents and bring down egg prices for consumers. At the same time, this hearing offered another important opportunity to receive feedback directly from ag producers across the country, as they continue to face challenges and we work to pass an updated, strong farm bill that supports our farmers and ranchers and keeps the farm in the farm bill.”